unemployment

Several Romanian economic operators in the central county of Prahova will lay off around 2,000 employees between December 2008 and March 2009, the spokesperson of Prahova Labor Force Recruitment Agency, Dragos Parvan said Monday.

The number of jobless people in Romania rose in November by around 12,000 persons and is estimated to increase by another 43,000 persons until April 2009, especially in the construction and agriculture sectors, Labor Minister Mariana Campeanu said Wednesday.

Romania’s unemployment rate rose to 4.1% in November, 0.1 percentage point higher from 4% in October, the Romanian employment agency, or ANOFM, said Tuesday.

Romania’s chemical fertilizers maker Azomures (AZO.RO) on Friday said will shut down production until mid January on lack of orders and stock pileups, with some 2,000 workers to go on temporary unemployment as of December 1.

Specialists estimate 3 million people will lose their jobs in Spain by the end of the year, of whom 130,000 are Romanians, according to a report on Romanian migration Spanish Agency for Governmental Strategies released Wednesday.

Romania's unemployment rate might not decrease in the following period, and the annual unemployment rate in 2009 will depend on the international economic crisis, which may determine Romanian laid off abroad to return home, Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu said Monday.